The present invention relates to footrests for motorcycles or other recreational vehicles. More specifically, it relates to a footrest assembly which provides the combination of footpeg and floorboard footrest structures.
Riders of motorcycles and other recreational vehicles typically sit astride the vehicle on a saddle at a comfortable arm""s length from a handle bar which provides the means for steering the vehicle. The rider""s feet are supported by footrests while in this seated position. There are two types of footrests for vehicles of this kind, footpegs and floorboards. Footpegs are short shafts which project laterally from the vehicle frame. Footpegs are the most commonly used type of footrest because of their simplicity and because, in stirrup fashion, the shaft of the peg can securely engage the heel of the rider""s boot. Also, footrests can easily be made to hinge upwardly as a safety feature to prevent the rigid grounding of the vehicle during cornering. For this reason, vehicle regulations require that motorcycle footrests be hinged upwardly.
Floorboards offer a different type of rider foot support in that they provide a flat, upwardly-angled surface facing the rider that supports both the sole and heel portion of the rider""s shoe or boot. Floorboards are generally known to provide greater rider comfort because the surface of a floorboard establishes a fixed angle of the rider""s ankle. In comparison, a rider""s shoe or boot can rotate about a footpeg, therefore holding the foot in a fixed position requires more effort. While floorboards have certain comfort advantages, they do not provide as secure a placement of the rider""s foot compared to footpegs since the rider""s shoe or boot can slide on the floorboard. Hence, both types of motorcycle footrests have their advantages and disadvantages.
There have been efforts in the art to combine the advantages of both types of footrests by providing motorcycle frames with separately mounted footpegs and floorboards at different locations. The floorboards on motorcycles with these two types of footrests combined are positioned proximate the foot controls so that braking or gear shifting can be quickly and safely accomplished from the foot positioned on the floorboard. The footpegs are mounted at a position above and generally forward of the floorboards to provide leg clearance from the floorboards and foot controls. Footpegs positioned in this manner are generally referred to as xe2x80x9chighway pegsxe2x80x9d and require a more straight-leg riding position.
However, there are problems with these combined footrest configurations. Since the footpegs require the rider""s feet to be positioned more forwardly and in an extended position, they are not in proximity of the foot controls. Also, some riders do not prefer the feet-forward riding position or the greater height of the footpeg from the ground which can make moving the rider""s feet between the elevated footpegs and placement on the ground awkward. This movement is often necessary during slow maneuvering of the vehicle. There is therefore a need in the art to provide a footrest system for a motorcycle which provides the benefits of both floorboards and footpegs without the above-described disadvantages.
In order to overcome the deficiencies in the art of motorcycle footrests, the present footrest device has been devised. It provides both an upwardly angled flat surface of a floorboard for comfortably supporting the rider""s feet while also providing a folding footpeg at approximately the same level as the floorboard. In use, the footpeg positively engages the rider""s shoe or boot while at the same time maintaining the feet in a relatively close proximity to the foot controls. This structural configuration is achieved by a folding footpeg which extends laterally from a concavity along the outside edge of the front of a the floorboard in its unfolded position. Preferably, the footpeg lies in the plane of the floorboard when the footpeg is extended. This also permits the footpeg to be used as a toe rest if the rider desires to position his feet on the floorboards but angled outwardly. As will be more fully described, not only does the present invention provide the benefits of both floorboards and footpegs, but the present device also allows the rider to quickly shift the position of his feet from floorboard to footpeg and back again with only a small amount of foot movement. The invention therefore provides the two desired features of safety and comfort.